None of my clients have yet been denied on the I-601A Provisional Waiver Applications that I prepared and filed on their behalf. However, the current trend based on I-601A provisional waiver applications filed by others nationally appears to be that the USCIS is denying I-601A waivers when it has “reason to believe” that the applicant may be found inadmissible by a Department of State or consular officer at the time of his/her immigrant visa interview for a reason other than unlawful presence.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association, of which I am a member, is currently working with the USCIS in an attempt to have I-601A provisional waivers adjudicated in a more flexible and meaningful manner.
Unfortunately, the USCIS seems to be denying I-601A provisional waivers in two common situations: when applicants have had encounters with criminal law enforcement authorities in the past that do NOT constitute grounds of inadmissibility under INA Section 212; and when applicants allegedly gave false names, biographic data, or other information to the INS or DHS authorities, where such false information was NOT given in an effort to procure a visa, other documentation, or admission in violation of INA Section 212(a)(6)(C).
My current recommendation as of 08/10/2013 is to be absolutely sure NONE of the situations described below apply to you before you submit your I-601A provisional waiver application. This means you never had any encounter whatsoever with criminal law enforcement authorities and never submitted any type of false information to the INS or DHS in the past. Should the USCIS adopt the more flexible and meaningful approach advocated by AILA, this blog and my clients will be updated.
Denials Based on Criminal Acts That Do Not Form the Basis for an Inadmissibility Determination
Numerous reports indicate that USCIS is relying on the “reason to believe” standard to deny applications involving any prior criminal issue, no matter how minor or how long ago the incident took place. AILA has also received reports of denials where the only offense involved a traffic citation or traffic violation.
Denials Based on Alleged Misrepresentations That Do Not Form the Basis for an Inadmissibility Determination
AILA has also received a number of examples of I-601A waiver applications that were denied based on an allegation that the applicant provided a false name or date of birth when apprehended at the border for attempting to enter without inspection. Though some of these denials contain limited information specific to the alleged incident (year, border station), most of them are formulaic, and none acknowledge evidence that might have been submitted to explain why the incident does not render the person inadmissible.
USCIS Needlessly Denies Provisional Waiver Applications Where a Meaningful Review of the Evidence Would Reveal No Inadmissibility Concerns Other Than Unlawful Presence
Driving Under the Influence (DUI)
It is well-established that a simple DUI, without more, is not a crime involving moral turpitude and therefore, does not render a person inadmissible. See Matter of Lopez-Meza, 22 I&N Dec. 1188, 1194 (BIA 1999); Murillo-Salmeron v. INS, 327 F.3d 898 (9th Cir. 2003). This position has been acknowledged and cited by the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office in several non-precedent decisions. Moreover, a conviction for an aggravated DUI (based on multiple simple DUIs) under a statute that does not require a culpable mental state is also not a crime involving moral turpitude. Matter of Torres Varela, 23 I&N Dec. 78, 82-86 (BIA 2001).
AILA has received numerous examples of provisional waiver denials where the only incident from the applicant’s past involved a simple DUI conviction. In many of these cases, the applicant acknowledged the incident on the I-601A form and submitted the record of conviction which revealed no aggravating factors. In at least one case, the conviction was ultimately dismissed and in most cases, the DUI occurred more than five years ago. However, despite well-documented efforts demonstrating that the conviction would not render the applicant inadmissible, these provisional waiver applications were denied.
The Petty Offense Exception
AILA has also received numerous denials involving minor offenses that would clearly fall under the “petty offense exception” for a single crime involving moral turpitude. An offense falls under the petty offense exception if (1) the crime was committed when the alien was under age 18, and the crime was committed (and the alien was released from confinement) more than five years before the date of the application; or (2) the maximum penalty possible for the crime did not exceed one year of imprisonment and if convicted, the alien was not sentenced to more than 6 months in prison.
Traffic Violations
Question 29 on Form I-601A seems to indicate that traffic violations are not considered when evaluating eligibility for a provisional waiver. Yet, AILA has received troubling reports of cases that have been denied where the only offense involved appears to be one or more traffic violations. Even if such violations could be considered relevant, they will almost always qualify for the petty offense exception.
Allegations of Providing a False Name or Date of Birth When Apprehended After Attempting to Enter without Inspection
AILA has also received many reports of denials based on a “reason to believe” the applicant is inadmissible under INA §212(a)(6)(C) for allegedly providing a false name or date of birth when the applicant was apprehended at the border for attempting to enter without inspection. While providing a false name in conjunction with the formal inspection and admission process may certainly raise concerns regarding admissibility (for example, presenting a false passport at a port of entry), in most circumstances, simply providing a false name after an arrest for attempting to enter without inspection does not support a finding of inadmissibility under INA §212(a)(6)(C)(i) because it is not made in an attempt to “procure … a visa, other documentation, or admission into the United States” or other benefit under the INA. Moreover, the Department of State takes the approach that misrepresentations regarding identity are material only if the alien is “inadmissible on the true facts or the misrepresentation tends to cut off a relevant line of inquiry which might have led to a proper finding of ineligibility.” Providing a false name or date of birth after arrest (in a “catch and release” or “voluntary return” situation) when it has already been determined that the individual is inadmissible is not, by definition “material.”